Valpak Launches "Valpak Saves" with KaBOOM! Partnership to Bring Play to Neighborhoods

ST. PETERSBURG, FL (February 23, 2015) —

Valpak significantly expands its local community service involvement with the official launch today of its “Valpak Saves” program, partnering with national non-profit KaBOOM! to bring more play to neighborhoods throughout the country.

This new initiative is part of Valpak’s mission to not only be a trusted neighbor who connects people with great offers and deals, but to inspire giving back to the community and create environments that promote the importance of play to children of all ages. Through this partnership, Valpak will help support the KaBOOM! mission to ensure all kids get the balanced and active play they need to thrive.

“Valpak Saves is at the core of who we are as a company, as we want our community outreach efforts to truly impact neighborhoods,” said Michael Vivio, president of Cox Target Media, provider of Valpak. “In partnership with KaBOOM!, Valpak can support play in all its forms and provide kids with opportunities to learn and grow, form friendships and improve health and fitness,” he said. “In doing this, we all help strengthen neighborhoods throughout the country,” said Vivio.

Valpak's blue envelope to support this cause began mailing last week to more than 40 million homes. A coupon inside will also encourage recipients to go to kaboom.org/valpak to support the effort with as little as a $5 donation to help bring play to neighborhoods in need. Valpak Saves will serve as the company's flagship community project throughout the year, in addition to many other corporate and local community outreach initiatives Valpak supports.

KaBOOM! is a national non-profit dedicated to bringing balanced and active play into the daily lives of all kids. Through its partnerships, KaBOOM! creates great places to play, inspires communities to promote and support play and works to drive the national discussion about the importance of play in fostering healthy lives and communities. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has collaborated with partners to build, open or improve nearly 16,000 playgrounds, engaged more than one million volunteers and served 7.4 million children. “At KaBOOM!, we’re dedicated to the idea that every kid deserves a play-filled childhood,” says KaBOOM! Founder and CEO Darell Hammond. “Because as it turns out, nothing is more essential to a child’s health and happiness over a lifetime than safe places to explore, and imagine, and create. “We’re thrilled to partner with Valpak to bring play to kids in need and create more resilient, family-friendly communities filled with play across America.”

According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the lowest-income schools have only 18 minutes of recess a day on average, while high-income schools have 30 minutes on average. This combined with other issues like increased screen time impact play time significantly. A recent University of Michigan Health System study found that children ages 2 to 5 spend three or more hours a day in front of a screen. And, this increases as children get older with 8 to 10 years olds spending five or more hours a day watching TV or playing video games.

“Given our focus on being a good neighbor and our recent initiatives to reinvigorate the Valpak brand, this partnership with KaBOOM! is the perfect way for Valpak to celebrate nearly five decades of being a trusted community and business partner,” added Vivio.

Contacts:

Discover more about Valpak®Valpak is at the heart of communities across North America, helping people save, businesses grow and neighborhoods thrive through a network of local franchises in the U.S. and Canada.

Valpak marketing consultants live and work in your neighborhood. We know what your customers want (we are them!) and can help you take the guesswork out of advertising with real-world marketing solutions that drive measurable results. From the mailbox to online to mobile devices, Valpak continues to find innovative ways to connect businesses with consumers. Monthly, close to 40 million homes receive our Blue Envelope of savings and traffic on valpak.com and our syndication partner sites exceeds 110 million. Backed by the muscle of Cox Target Media, your local Valpak office has the means and know-how to custom build a marketing campaign that meets your needs and budget. Let us introduce you to the neighborhood. Call Valpak at 1-800-676-6878.

About Cox Media GroupCox Media Group is an integrated broadcasting, publishing, direct marketing and digital media company that includes the national advertising rep firms of CoxReps. Additionally, CMG owns Cox Target Media, which operates Valpak, one of North America’s leading direct marketing companies, and Savings.com, a leading online source for savings. The company’s operations currently include 14 broadcast television stations and one local cable channel, 59 radio stations, seven daily newspapers and more than a dozen non-daily publications, and more than 100 digital services. CMG currently operates in more than 20 media markets and reaches approximately 52 million Americans weekly, including more than 31 million TV viewers, more than 3.5 million print and online newspaper readers, and more than 14 million radio listeners. For more information about Cox Media Group, please check us out online at www.coxmediagroup.com.

About KaBOOM! KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to giving all kids – particularly those growing up in poverty in America – the childhood they deserve filled with balanced and active play, so they can thrive. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has collaborated with partners to build, open or improve nearly 16,700 playgrounds, engaged more than one million volunteers and served 8.5 million kids. KaBOOM! creates great places to play, inspires communities to promote and support play, and works to drive the national discussion about the importance of play in fostering healthy and productive lives. To learn why #playmatters, visit kaboom.org or join the conversation at twitter.com/kaboom or facebook.com/kaboom.